


A Little Bit Of Magic

by pasteldanhowells



Category: phanfiction - Fandom
Genre: AU, Angst, First Time Meeting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Hogwarts AU, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2015-10-05
Packaged: 2018-04-25 00:02:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4939003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pasteldanhowells/pseuds/pasteldanhowells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dan is the new potions teacher at Hogwarts and is muggleborn, this is his first year teaching and whilst he’s excited, he has to get used to being in the castle with absolutely no muggle technology. Phil is the herbology teacher and is clumsy and likes puns and likes to help Hagrid with his magical creatures. Dan and Phil eventually meet and become rather close, some of the students realize this and try to get them together before the end up of the year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Little Bit Of Magic

Dan couldn’t believe that he was actually here, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and he was teaching. Dan was muggleborn so he never went to Hogwarts because his parents wanted him to go to a “normal” school and get his education the way they did. His parents weren’t wizards so they had to get used to Dan being able to use magic, though they never let him use it at home. Though after he graduated high school he studied magic quite a bit before he came to the wizarding world.

But that’s why Dan was so excited about being at Hogwarts, because he would finally be able to use magic whenever he wanted, and whenever he pleased to, after being held back so many years by his parents, and especially since he was a teacher, the Potions teacher. Dan couldn’t believe he got what he wanted for once in his life. He never expected that Professor Dumbledore would actually give him this job.

Of course, his parents were disappointed and angry once he left. Dan got in an argument with his parents right before he left the muggle world, but he hoped that he would be able to mend things with them later.

“We have a new Potions teacher this year and I expect you all to give him a warm welcome,”

Dan looked over and smiled as Professor Dumbledore spoke.

Apparently there have been five different Potions teacher each year, and it was almost like a curse. Dan hoped that he would be able to get through the year and would come back next year. He worked so hard to get here and he definitely wasn’t going to let a silly “curse” stop him from having this dream job.

Dan just still couldn’t believe that he was actually sitting here, at the teachers table at Hogwarts, listening to Professor Dumbledore himself, speak kind things about him. It almost felt like a dream.

“Please welcome Mr. Howell, your new Potions teacher!”

Dan stood up and took a small bow and smiled when he saw that the students had actually clapped for him, before sitting back down in his chair. Now he was feeling a little less nervous.

“I trust you will all treat him with respect and give him a warm welcome, as you should.”

****

“I’m Phil, the Herbology teacher,” the teacher next to Dan spoke.

It was a little into the feast now and Dan had been talking to Professor Hagrid about what the castle was like. Dan wanted to know everything about it, since this was his first year here.

“Hello, I’m Dan,” Dan said as he shook hands with him. “Herbology? What is that?”

“Study of plants,” Phil replied with a small nod. “It’s actually really interesting… I love learning new things about all the different types of plants there are. This is my third year teaching it, so I’m excited about it.”

Dan smiled and nodded as he listened to Phil speak. “So, what is it like teaching young wizards, anyways? I heard it can be quite a lot to handle…” Dan wanted to know everything so that he could have a little taste of what he was getting himself into. Dan’s never taught young wizards before.

“You get used to it after a few weeks of teaching them… it seems like it’d be hard work but it’s surprisingly it’s really not. Most of the students are really nice and understanding. Some classes have strict rules about using magic during class unless it’s for an assignment, like mine. Though with a class like yours, you’ll probably be using magic almost everyday,” Phil said. “Are you nervous about teaching?”

“Kind of. I’ve been teaching muggle students for a couple of years now because my parents wanted me to being educated in the muggle world even though I’m a full wizard. But I’ve worked really hard to be here so I’ll be doing the absolute best that I can to fit in with everyone… hopefully,” Dan sighed quietly.

“Totally. I’m sure you’ll do great, and… try not to worry about that whole Potions curse thing. It’s just a silly thing that the students made up ages ago to scare the new teachers every year,” Phil assured.

Dan nodded, feeling slightly more relieved. “I figured… thank you for talking to me,” he said with a smile.

“No worries. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot of each other anyways.”

“Definitely,” Dan said. He bit his lip as he watched Phil for a few moments before he continued eating his food, his delicious food. He’d always heard that Hogwarts had amazing food, and they were definitely right, and he always thought that his mother was the best cook in the world.

Dan was hoping that he would experience magical memories, meet new friends, and possibly even find himself a boyfriend… though he didn’t know how realistic that would be, but he still had hope. He’s never had a real boyfriend before, only small relationships that never worked out for ridiculous reasons.

“Here we are,” Dan whispered as he stepped into the room that he would be staying in. Most teachers had living quarters at Hogwarts that they stayed in. Dan would be spending most of his time here while he was at Hogwarts. It wasn’t the biggest, but it felt like home already. Dan loved the castle already.

Dan placed his luggage next to his bed and started unpacking; and whilst he was unpacking, he was trying to take everything in. He was the new teacher, so he was nervous to see how the first day was going to go tomorrow. He didn’t want to start off his new teaching job with giving homework on the first day, so he was definitely going to take it easy and just get to know the students first, and he was sure giving homework on the first day would make the students hate him, which is something he didn’t want to happen.

Once finished, he stood up and looked around, a smile forming on his face.

“I could definitely get used to this,” Dan whispered out loud to himself.

Dan’s only been at Hogwarts for a couple of hours, but he’d already fallen in love with it.

You could say that the castle was magical.

Today was the big day. Dan’s first day teaching at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Was he nervous? More like over the moon nervous, would be the way to answer that. Very nervous.

Dan’s been working so hard to get where he was and he just hoped he wouldn’t blow it.

Dan made sure to get up extra early so he could get to class early and make sure everything was ready, and also making sure he got enough sleep since it was most likely going to be a very long day but … a very fun day, or so… Dan hoped. He wanted to make it fun, as fun as he possibly could.

“Nice, I could work with this,” Dan said out-loud as he walked into his classroom. It was a small classroom, but it was definitely something that Dan could get used to. Dan was just happy to be there.

After all, it was just Potions. He didn’t need anything big. Luckily, Dan wasn’t a picky person at all.

Dan walked over to his desk and sat his bag on the ground after pulling out his ipod. He looked over at the clock and sighed, students would be arriving any moment and he was really trying hard not to panic. He stayed up all night working out his lesson plans, and he was only feeling half confident…. which probably wasn’t a good thing at this point in time, with being the new teacher and everything.

“Good morning Mr. Howell,”

Dan looked over and smiled when the first two students walked into the classroom.

Though he was smiling on the outside, he was definitely freaking out on the inside. One wrong move, and his dream of being a teacher could be over before he knew. He just wanted today to be absolutely perfect.

“Oh, hello. Good morning boys,” he said politely before he pulled out some papers from his bag. “Uh, I guess…go ahead and take a seat anywhere you’d like, we won’t be having any assigned seats yet.”

“I like you already sir,” the boy said before taking a seat.

Dan chuckled at the boy. “Don’t get too excited, you will be having assigned seats eventually.”

Both of the boys groaned, but continued on talking to each other anyways.

Dan sighed quietly to himself and shook his head, before continuing to get his desk sorted out. Somehow, his desk was already a mess and he’d only been here for a day. Dan was a procrastinator at heart, so keeping things clean and organised was definitely going to be a task for him.

And soon, the classroom was filled with third year students.

“Alright class, settle down,” Dan said as he stood up from his chair. “Now… it’s the first day of school so, we’re not going to have any homework or tests, or anything like that-” Dan rolled his eyes playfully when the glass cheered. “Okay, okay… but, I do want to get to know you all since I am the new teacher. So I’ve put together a little ‘get to know me’ assignment that you’ll finish before the class period ends. It’s fairly simple, so you shouldn’t have any problems with it, but if you do… don’t hesitate to ask for any help.”

“You seriously aren’t giving us any homework?” A girl asked.

“Why would I give homework? It’s the first day, but tomorrow… we will start for real though,” Dan answered. “Besides, I’m sure you’ll have plenty of other homework from your other teachers.”

“Epic!” The same girl said, making Dan chuckle. “You’re not like the other Potions teachers.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Dan said with a smile. He grabbed the papers and then he started passing them out to the students. “Take as long as you like… you’ll just need to hand them in at the end of the class. No talking unless the entire classroom is finished.” He walked back over to his desk and sat down, reaching over and grabbing his ipod. He went to turn it on, willing it to work, and frowned when it didn’t. He looked around and saw that there were no plugs to charge it in. This worried him quite a bit.

Because, back in the muggle world… listening to music was one of the things he loved doing. He listened to music every day and whenever he painted, he would listen to music because it calmed and relaxed him.

“Uh, Mr. Howell? What is that device thing you got?” Dan looked over at the boy who asked the question.

“Oh what, this?” Dan replies, holding up the ipod so the students could see what he was holding.

The boy nodded. “Yeah? Like, is that some weird muggle device or something?” He curiously asked.

Dan chuckled. “Kind of… it’s called an ipod, and it plays music for you,” he answered.

“A music player?” The same boy questioned, raising his eyebrows.

“Sir… you do know muggle devices don’t work at Hogwarts, right?” The girl next to him pointed out.

“What?” Dan asked, frowning as he looked at the girl. “Well that’s… uh, not very fair…is it?”

“What did you expect? It’s a wizarding school, sir…” The girl giggled.

“Well what’s a guy supposed to do when when he wants to listen to Kanye West?” Dan questioned, setting his ipod down on the desk, sighing in defeat. “This is not what I was expecting at all. Not at all.”

“Who the hell is Kanye West, sir?” Another boy asked, a giggle rumbling through the classroom.

“Language, boy. And Kanye West is a God… or a musician in the muggle world, he creates amazing music and it’s a shame you won’t get to hear any of his masterpieces.” Dan sighed, shaking his head is disbelief. These poor souls are deprived of greatness, he thinks to himself, how cruel. Dan needed to educate these children on what amazing music there is in the muggle world. Specifically, Kanye West.

image  
Meanwhile, the students were just arriving in Mr. Lester’s class, though Mr. Lester wasn’t there yet, instead… a woman who looked to be in her 20’s was there, and was sitting at the desk.

“I thought Mr. Lester was going to be teaching Herbology this year?” One of the students asked.

“Oh yes, he’ll be here, don’t worry. Dumbledore thinks he could use an assistant, so I’m here to help out,” she said softly. “Have a seat for now and I’m sure he’ll be with you in a moment.”

“Why would he need an assistant?” Another girl asked curiously as they took their seats.

“Apparently he’s a little clumsy and needs a little extra help,” she chuckled and shook her head.

“Shouldn’t he be teaching another class then?” The same girl asked.

“You would think so, right? But apparently… he knows a lot about this subject, animals and plants. He always helps Hagrid out with the magical creatures so Dumbledore wants to give him a chance…” She explained, shrugging slightly. “And my name is Mrs. Valentine, by the way.”

“Good morning class,” Mr. Lester said as he walked into the classroom. “Sorry I’m late.”

“Do you need any help sir?” Mrs. Valentine asked him.

“Uh, not quite yet. Though I’ll probably need help with lesson plans later,” Phil told her. He walked to the front of the class and sighed as he looked around. “Today… we’ll be learning about mandrakes.”

“Learning about something big already?” A boy asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Better to start sooner rather than later, right?” Phil asked, smiling. “Now, I have a very important question… what kind of tree grows on your hand?” He looked around the classroom.

“Oh, here we go again,” Mrs. Valentine mumbled to herself, shaking her head in disbelief.

“A palm tree!” Phil exclaimed as he held up his hand, grinning proudly at the pun.

“That was awful Mr. Lester, no offense,” a student said.

“Alright then, mister. For this tree pun I had to go out on a limb and branch out to some other sources,” Phil said, smiling as he was making a couple of the students giggle and laugh. Making people laugh was probably one of Phil’s favorite thing to do, especially when people were laughing at his own jokes.

“Mr. Lester, are you actually going to teach the students about mandrakes?” Mrs. Valentine said.

“Hey, we’ve got plenty of time to learn about mandrakes, okay?” Phil sighed.

“How many puns do you actually have?” One student asked.

“Well… let’s just say that a lot of trees were dying, but they needed to figure out the root of the problem,” Phil said. “I’ve got millions of plant puns. Let’s just say that. Too many, it’s a problem.”

“Now you see why Professor Dumbledore wanted Mr. lester to have an assistant,”

“Hey,” Phil frowned slightly as he looked over at Mrs. Valentine. “I’m a good teacher… I just like to have a little fun with teaching, that’s all. There’s nothing wrong with that-” He sighed. “Alright, back to the mandrakes. Listen very carefully, alright? Mandrakes are very tough to handle…”

A couple hours later and classes were finally over.

Dan was surprised at how well all of the classes went on the first day, but he was happy and relieved.

Now that it was dinner time, Dan wanted to take this time to walk around the castle, and get a feel for it, and make sure he knew where everything was so that he wouldn’t get lost as a couple of new students were getting lost and he was sure he would get lost as well. He didn’t mind skipping a small meal to adventure around his new home. The castle was beautiful, there was so much to explore.

“Mr. Lester?” Dan asked, smiling when he saw him walk out of The Great Hall. Dan had been hoping that he would run into Phil again. He hadn’t really talked to any of the other teacher’s yet, and Phil seemed to be the only one interested in actually talking with him. Dan was hoping to form a friendship with Phil.

“Oh, hello there. You can call me Phil, outside of classes, I mean…” Phil said as he walked over to Dan.

“Oh, right. Are you not eating dinner?” Dan asked, glancing into The Great Hall before looking back at Phil.

“I ate a little, but I’m not really that hungry today. You?” Phil asked smiling.

“Nah. I’ll have a little snack later. I wanted to walk around the castle for a bit. I need to know where everything is so I don’t get lost because knowing me, that’ll probably happen.” Dan joked.

Phil nodded. “Would you like to come with me then? I’m heading out to Hagrid’s,” he said.

“Hagrid. Doesn’t he take care of magical creatures?” Dan asked. “I think we sat with him last night.”

“He used to, but yes. He still takes care of them and helps out, and I like to help out too,”

“Alright. That sounds fun, I’d love to go with you…” Dan smiled and started following Phil outside.

“So, how was your first day of teaching at Hogwarts?” Phil asked as he walked with Dan.

“Surprisingly, it was alright. Nothing bad happened, and plus the students seemed to like me which is the one thing that I was really worried about,” Dan laughed and then bit his lip slightly. “Hey, is it true that muggle devices don’t work at Hogwarts?” Dan questioned, looking over at Phil. “I wanted to listen to some music earlier but the students said I couldn’t which really bummed me out…”

“Yeah, unfortunately. I don’t know why… but they don’t,” Phil said.

“Damn. I’m used to listening to music everyday. This will be difficult for me,” Dan sighed.

“Don’t worry… you can still listen to music, just not… muggle music on muggle devices,” Phil assured.

“That’s okay. Also, I was wondering… is there anyway that I could paint?” Dan asked.

“Paint? Are you an artist or something?” Phil asked, smiling as he looked over at Dan.

“Kind of. I don’t know, I’m not like… a famous painter, or anything, but I actually do love to draw and paint. It relaxes me when I’m stressed. It was what I did back in the muggle world. I did a lot of painting at high school. I’ve been told I’m good at it but it’s not that great so don’t get too excited,” Dan said.

“Try the Room of Requirement. If you want to paint in a quiet spot, that’s your best bet. I’ll show you where it is. Maybe you could show me some of your artwork sometime,” Phil said.

“Really? Would you want to see some of it?” Dan asked, a little surprised. Nobody ever asked to see his artwork whenever he talked about it. It surprised him that Phil was interested in it.

“Yeah, I would like to…” Phil nodded. “I bet you’re really good at it.”

“I don’t know… but maybe you can be the judge and tell me,” Dan chuckled, a smile pulling at his cheeks.

“Great. Ah, here we are. I need to feed Buckbeak now, so I hope that’s okay,” Phil said as they walked down to Hagrid’s Hut. “You’re new so you have to be really careful around him.”

“What exactly is a Buckbeak?” Dan asked, slightly scared. This would be the first time that he’d get to see a magical creature in the wizarding world. He was partly excited, but mostly terrified.

“A Hippogriff,” Phil smiled as he looked over at Dan. He giggled when he looked over at Dan and saw the terrified look on his face. “Don’t worry Dan, you’ll be fine. Just stay by me and nothing bad will happen.”

“Are you sure? Like, he won’t bite my head off or anything?” Dan asked.

“No. He’ll be a little terrified of you at first, but once he gets used to you, he’ll be fine,” Phil assured. “Good evening Hagrid! Have you fed Buckbeak yet?” Phil said with a small wave of his hand.

“‘Ello Phil. Not yet, you’ve come just in time,” Hagrid said.

“This is Dan, the Potions professor. He’ll be helping me out, if that’s okay?” Phil asked him.

“‘Course. ‘Ave fun,” Hagrid said before trodding off.

“I’ve never seen a giant in real life,” Dan said, amazed, as he watched Hagrid.

Phil chuckled and shook his head. “He’s only half giant…anyways, back to feeding Buckbeak then!”

****

“Buckbeak is so cool!” Dan exclaimed as he watched Phil finish feeding him.

“Isn’t he?” Phil smiled as he looked over at Dan. “People are scared of Hippogriffs and I don’t get it, they’re like… the coolest creatures. I understand why Hagrid loves him so much.”

“Well I was terrified of him when I first saw him, but now I think he’s actually really cool,” Dan said.

“And he seems to like you,” Phil said. “The only time he ever attacked someone was when they were totally being obnoxious and rude to him. Hippogriffs don’t like that.”

“Wait, really? Who did he attack?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Draco Malfoy, a long time ago… I’m sure you’ve heard of the Malfoy’s, am I right?” Phil asked.

Dan laughed and nodded. “Yes, I have heard of them. Way to go Buckbeak! You know, I actually ran into Lucius Malfoy when I was shopping in Diagon Alley, and he was not nice, that was for sure,” he said.

“They aren’t nice folks, believe me. They all worked for Voldemort and were death eaters,” Phil told him.

“He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?” Dan asked jokingly.

“He’s dead now, so you don’t have to call him by that,” Phil chuckled.

“I know, it’s just funny people called him that. So, where are you going after this?” Dan asked curiously.

Dan was really started to like Phil, after spending a little bit of time with him and getting to know him more. They seemed to really be getting along with each other. He thought that they would be really good friends if they hung out more, which was what Dan was hoping for, considering he didn’t know anyone at Hogwarts.

“I’m not sure… I need to go over some work later, but other than that… not much, why?” Phil asked.

“Oh, well… um, maybe we could hang out? I-I don’t really know anybody and you’re the only one who’s talked to me, my age, of course. You don’t have to but I just thought that we could…”

Phil laughed, quickly cutting him off. “I’d love to hang out with you more after this,” he said.

“Really?” Dan asked, a smile forming on his face.

“Yeah, really. Where would you like to go?” Phil asked.

“Uh, I don’t know. Where is there to go? You know the castle better than I do,” Dan said.

“How about we go to the Room of Requirement? It’s not that far away,” Phil suggested, shrugging. “I could tell you how to use it for your painting and stuff. I mean, only if you want to, of course.”

“Sounds perfect,” Dan smiled as he and Phil started walking together again. “Hogwarts is so beautiful…”

“Isn’t it? You’re going to love it once you see more of it,” Phil said.

Dan really enjoyed spending time with Phil tonight.

Phil was such a nice person and he was super easy to get along with. Dan could tell that their friendship was going to last quite awhile, or so, he hoped at least. They had so much in common with each other. Phil made Dan laugh a lot and that was something that Dan really liked in a guy. Except, nobody knew that Dan was gay yet in this school. He just hoped that being gay wasn’t a big deal at Hogwarts. If it was, then it would be like high-school all over again and Dan simply couldn’t deal with that. Not again, anyways.

So now two weeks have passed since Dan has been at Hogwarts.

Dan couldn’t believe that it’s been two whole weeks since he’s been working at Hogwarts.

It was pretty much a dream job, and he was loving every second of it so far. Dan was really getting the groove of things and he had his lessons all planned out. He was giving out homework but not too much, and his class lessons weren’t hard and he made sure things were fun in classes. The students seemed to actually like him, or so that’s what they said. Which made him feel really at ease and it made life easier.

And best of all, he and Phil were really getting along and getting closer to each other every day. They pretty much spent every day together. It was obvious that Dan had a crush on him, though he tried really hard to hide it because he wanted to wait awhile to tell Phil, so things wouldn’t get awkward between them..

After classes, they would eat dinner together in The Great Hall and then they would go down to Hagrid’s and help take care of any magical creatures that needed help taking care of. Dan really liked Buckbeak. He was finally warming up to him which made him happy because all he wanted to do was help out. Dan was really starting to understand why Phil loved helping Hagrid out with magical creatures.

Funnily enough, the students were starting to notice how close the two were getting. The students constantly talked about how cute they would look together and how they should ‘totally date’.

Today was the first Quidditch match of the year and Dan was extremely excited. He’s never been to a Quidditch match before so this would be really exciting to see. He was always fascinated with Quidditch, and he thought it was so cool that it was a sport where you just flew around in the sky.

“Hey, could I sit with you,” Phil asked, smiling as he walked up to Dan.

Everybody was heading out towards the Quidditch pitch.

“Of course,” Dan said, smiling as he looked over at Phil. “So, what’s Quidditch like? I heard it’s like the soccer version sport but like… in the air, and on brooms.” He laughed at how silly he sounded.

“I’ve heard of soccer before surprisingly, so yeah… it’s basically like that,” Phil agreed, nodding.

“I’m really excited about this. I’m experiencing so many things in the wizarding world that I hadn’t gotten to before, thanks to my muggle parents,” Dan said, rolling his eyes slightly. He smiled as he and Phil sat down in their seats with all of the other professor’s. “This view is incredible! Wow!”

“I know, right? It’s amazing up here,” Phil grinned as he looked over at Dan. He’s only known Dan for a short period of time so far, but he couldn’t notice how gorgeous Dan was. Looks, and personality wise. But Phil was happy that he’s really gotten to know Dan in the period that they’ve been talking to each other.

“So, the goal of Quidditch is to catch the snitch, right?” Dan asked, looking around at all the surroundings.

“Right. The game doesn’t end until the seeker catches the snitch,” Phil explained.

“And how long exactly is a Quidditch game?” Dan asked curiously, looking back over at Phil.

“Uh, well. That depends on the seeker. It could take a couple of hours at least before the game ends,” Phil said. He looked at Dan and laughed when he saw the look on his face. “What did you expect?”

“Shit. Quidditch must be a really intense sport then!” Dan laughed.

“Oh it is, trust me. I used to be a chaser when I went to school here,” Phil said.

“Really?” Dan asked, a little surprised. “I would have never expected that you played Quidditch.”

“That’s what most people say, but I was quite good. I wasn’t like, amazing… but pretty good, if I do say so myself. Quidditch is a really hard sport to play. I bet you’d be really good at it though,” Phil smiled.

“Really, me? At Quidditch?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrow. “You think so?”

Phil laughed. “Yeah totally, I mean… you definitely have the body for it,” he smiled, and just picturing Dan on the Quidditch field, flying around in the uniform… no, stop it Phil!

Dan blushed and shook his head. “No way… I’m the least athletic person out there,” he said.

“Would you ever do Quidditch?” Phil asked curiously.

“I would like to… but I think I’d be too chicken to do something like that. I’ve never even flown on a broom before so I’d probably need flying lessons before even thinking about doing Quidditch,” Dan said.

“What? You’re a wizard and you’ve never flown on a broom before?” Phil asked, shocked.

“Listen… my parents wanted me to be magic free growing up. They wouldn’t let me buy a wand or use any type of magic. They wanted me to grow up in the muggle world like a real person,” Dan sighed.

“That’s awful. You missed a lot growing up then, didn’t you?” Phil asked, frowning.

“Yeah,” Dan nodded. “But it’s okay… I’m here in the wizarding world now so I’m sure I’ll get to experience everything I wanted to as a child. I mean, I’m a teacher at Hogwarts… that’s pretty amazing,” Dan said.

Phil nodded. “And you’re a really good teacher, all the students absolutely love and adore you,” he said.

Dan blushed even darker and shook his head. “I don’t know about that, Phil. One student totally absolutely hates my guts and I have no idea why… he just doesn’t like me, and I don’t know why..” he mumbled.

“You don’t think they love you?” Phil smiled. “I always hear them talking about how chill and laid back you are as a teacher. You don’t give much homework out and your class assignments are always fun…”

“Thanks. I bet that you’re a really good teacher too,” Dan said as he looked up at Phil.

Was Phil flirting with him? Dan couldn’t tell, but he was definitely blushing a lot, that was for sure.

“Oh, the game’s starting!” Phil said as he pointed towards the players, who were getting ready.

“So, who’s playing today then?” Dan asked, looking over at the players.

“Slytherin vs Hufflepuff, so this should be really interesting,” Phil giggled.

“No kidding. I bet the Hufflepuffs would love to beat them,” Dan said, grinning.

“They’ve never before, yet. Slytherin always has really good players,” Phil rolled his eyes.

“Why’s that?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrows as he looked over at Phil.

“Beats me. Whoever picks them must have known who they wanted,” Phil said.

“You’re a Ravenclaw, did you ever win any games during school when you played?” Dan asked curiously.

Phil nodded. “Yeah… we won a couple of games but we weren’t champions or anything,” he answered.

“You’ll have to tell me about it more, I’d love to learn more about Quidditch,” Dan said, smiling like a child.

“Yeah. Maybe I can talk to Dumbledore about getting the Quidditch field for a day so I can teach you, possibly sometime in the summer. That’d be fun!” Phil said with a smile.

“Oh, wow. Yeah… that sounds absolutely perfect!” Dan exclaimed excitedly.

Phil smiled at Dan’s excitement, before finally turning to pay attention to the game.

__________

Two months later;

“Mr. Howell, are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?” One of the students asked during class.

This weekend was the first weekend that third year students were going to Hogsmeade. Some of the teachers were going, and Dan was definitely interested in going. He’d never been there before and he’s heard many great things about it. He hoped that he would be able to go if he wasn’t too busy.

“I’m not sure… I don’t know if I have any work to do on Friday or not yet,” Dan answered.

“Oh come on, it’s only for a few hours. You’ve got the whole weekend to do work,” another student said.

Dan raised his eyebrows as he looked over at the boy. His students had been acting strange all day, and they kept asking him about Phil. It was very strange. “I don’t know Hayden, but believe me… I’m definitely thinking about going. I’ve never been there before and I’d really like to go and experience it…”

“Well… I heard that Mr. Lester was planning on going to Hogsmeade this weekend. Maybe you two could go together or something,” the girl sitting next to Hayden said, a smile forming on her face.

Dan chuckled. “What makes you think I would go to Hogsmeade with Ph- Mr. Lester?” He asked.

“Well you spend everyday with him anyways, so why not…?”

“And besides, Mr. Lester’s been to Hogsmeade before so he could show you around and stuff!”

“I’ll think about it, okay? You guys are acting so weird today,” Dan sighed, a slight grin pulling at his lips.

“He’s so going,” Stacy giggled as she and Hayden continued with their assignment.

“We just have to talk to Frankie and Mollie and make sure they get Mr. Lester to go,” Hayden whispered.

“Got it,” Stacy nodded. “Do you really think this plan will actually work? Like, seriously? This is big.”

“Uh, yeah. I know Mr. Howell hasn’t said anything but it’s so obvious that he’s gay and so’s Mr. Lester which makes things so much easier. We just need to get them together for a romantic date,”

“They totally belong together. Their friendship is so cute and they’re cute together,” Stacy smiled.

“Alright you two… enough talking, get back to work,” Dan warned, sighing quietly.

“Fine,” Hayden rolled his eyes but smiled as he looked over at Stacy.

Dan raised his eyebrows as he watched the two students, but quickly shrugged it off.

****

“Oh… hey you,” Dan smiled when he saw Phil walk into his classroom.

It was the end of the day and classes were over, thankfully. Dan was tired. It was definitely a long day.

“So, are you going to dinner? I was just finishing up classes and figured I’d walk with you,” Phil said.

“Yeah… totally. I just need to finish up these last few papers and we can go,” Dan told him, smiling.

“Hey, uh… were your students acting a little…strange today?” Phil asked Dan curiously.

“Strange? I don’t know… how so?” Dan asked, looking up at Phil again.

“They were just… asking a lot of questions, about me and your…our friendship? That kind of strange,”

“Actually… yes. They kept asking me if I was going to Hogsmeade this weekend and they even said that I should go with you…for some reason,” Dan said, sighing slightly, afterwards.

“Why would they suggest that we go together?” Phil asked curiously.

“I don’t know…but it is definitely odd,” Dan laughed.

“Yeah… something tells me that there’s something going on with a couple of the students,” Phil said.

“Definitely. It’s like… they’re trying to set us up together or something,” Dan added.

“I thought so. They giggled every time I mentioned your name in class today,” Phil grinned.

“You mentioned my name?” Dan asked, a smile forming on his face.

“Well, yeah… I mean, a couple of times here and there,” Phil admitted, blushing lightly.

“That’s nice,” Dan was surprised that Phil had even thought about him during class. He was trying to stay calm and collected on the outside, but he had such a crush on Phil that he was freaking out on the inside. He’s barely known the guy for a couple of months but he felt like he was in high school all over again, witnessing his first crush. But, he couldn’t help himself. It’s been awhile since he’s felt like this.

20 minutes later; Dan and Phil were finally going down to The Great Hall.

“I’ll never get over the delicious smell of Hogwarts food,” Dan smiled as they walked down the stairs.

“I know, right? The food smells and tastes amazing,” Phil agreed.

“Good evening Mr. Howell and Mr. Lester,” a group of girls walked past them, giggling.

Dan stopped and raised his eyebrows as he watched them. “That was weird… right?”

“Uh, weird would be the correct word to describe that, yes,” Phil sighed.

Dan bit his lip slightly before he continued walking and walked into The Great Hall.

“Where are we going after this?” Dan asked as he sat down at the teacher’s table, next to Phil, of course.

“I’m not sure. I have some grading to do later, but that can wait, I suppose.” Phil said.

“So, speaking of Hogsmeade, are you actually going this weekend?” Dan asked curiously.

“Yeah, definitely. There’s no way I’m passing up going to Hogsmeade,” Phil said, nodding.

“I know it’s kind of silly but… I’ve never been before and I don’t really know where anything is. So maybe, I could go with you and hang out for a bit. I mean, if you’re not going with anybody else,” Dan said quietly.

“Why would that be silly?” Phil asked, looking over at Dan. “I’d be happy to go with you.”

“Really, you’ll go with me?” Dan asked, his face practically lit up.

“Yeah, really. There’s no one else I’d rather go to Hogsmeade with. Besides, it’ll be fun to show you around and kind of be a tour guide. You’re going to love it… it’s so much fun,” Phil told him.

“What’s your favorite shop at Hogsmeade?” Dan asked curiously as he ate his food.

“Well I do love The Three Broomsticks, but I have to say… Honeydukes has some really delicious sweets. I can’t wait for you to try it all. But yeah, those two are definitely my favorite,” Phil said.

Dan smiled as he listened to Phil talk about Hogsmeade. Now, he was definitely excited about this weekend. He’s heard some much fun stuff about Hogsmeade and he’s always wanted to go and see it, and now he was going to go for the first time with his new best friend, who he happened to have the biggest crush on. God, he felt like a little boy all over again, going on his first date. But it was fun in a way. He is now 22 years old and he hasn’t felt like this in a long time so it was kind of nice.

****

Friday came quicker than Dan thought it would, but he was happy regardless.

Today was the Hogsmeade trip day and he couldn’t be more excited. He was pretty much going to spend the whole day with Phil and it was going to be so much fun. He couldn’t contain his excitement, not even in classes today and it was so obvious to the class why Dan was so cheery and more happier than usual.

“Alright class, I expect homework on my desk as soon as you walk in on Monday,” Dan announced as he watched the students pack up their stuff and started heading out of the classroom.

“So, are you going to Hogsmeade Mr. Howell?” Hayden asked as he stood up from his seat.

Dan chuckled. “Yes, I am going to Hogsmeade. And before you ask, yes, I am going with Phil,”

“Oh, you’re on a first name basis now?” Stacy asked curiously, raising her eyebrows.

“Uh, well, it would be kind of awkward if we just called each other Mr. Howell and Mr. Lester all the time outside of class, don’t you think?” Dan asked, looking over at her. “Go on now, I know how excited you all are about your first trip to Hogsmeade. I’m sure we’ll see each other there at some point.”

“Bye Mr. Howell!” Stacy giggled as she ran off with Hayden.

“Kids,” Dan said, rolling his eyes playfully as he watched them.

Dan took no time with packing up his stuff and taking it to his room. He then made his way out to the courtyard where all of the students were gathering up to go to Hogsmeade. Mrs. McGonagall was making sure everybody had their signed permission slips and was telling the students where to go.

“Crazy, huh?”

Dan looked over as soon as he heard a voice and then he smiled when he saw Phil walking next to him. “Hey. Yeah, it’s kind of manic… I really didn’t expect it to be anything like this, you know?” He laughed.

“It’s always like this when we go to Hogsmeade. Never gets easier,” Phil laughed.

“I can tell why. Students are really excited about going today and I don’t blame them,” Dan said.

“So, are you excited? It’s your first time going too,” Phil smiled as he looked over at Dan.

Dan nodded. “Oh, yeah totally… I could barely contain my excitement in class today. I swear I looked like a kid in a candy store or something. It was ridiculous,” He said with a little chuckle.

“Well let’s get going then… the train leaves soon and we don’t want to miss it,” Phil said. He grabbed Dan’s hand without even thinking about it, and he started leading the way towards the train.

Hogsmeade.

It was pretty much just like Dan thought it would be. Absolutely magical in every way.

“This place is so fucking amazing!” Dan exclaimed as he walked with Phil through Hogsmeade.

Phil laughed. “Dan, we’ve only been here for 20 minutes…”

“That doesn’t matter. I’m so in love with this place, I wish I could live here,” Dan said, sighing happily.

“See, aren’t you glad you didn’t stay at the castle to do work?” Phil asked, beaming at Dan’s excitement.

“Oh yeah. I can’t believe that I almost passed this up,” Dan continued to look around himself. He could hardly stay still, there was so much to look at, and so little time to see everything.

“So, here’s the plan… how about we go check out Honeydukes for a bit, we buy a few sweets and stuff, and then we can go hang out at The Three Broomsticks. I haven’t had a butterbeer in ages,” Phil said.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” Dan said as he walked over to Phil. “Lead the way.”

“You’re going to love Honeydukes, and the Butterbeer,” Phil smiled as they started walking together again.

After spending about a half an hour in Honeydukes and blowing a lot of his money on sweets and other stuff that he probably didn’t need, Dan and Phil finally made their way down to The Three Broomsticks, which Dan was overly excited about because he’d always wanted to try Butterbeer but never got the chance. And now Phil was teasing him about how amazing it was, typical Phil.

“Here we go, my first time ever trying Butterbeer,” Dan said as he was sat next to Phil at a table.

“Don’t be so nervous, I promise that you’re going to love it, trust me… you know, I’m really glad that I get to experience this with you,” Phil laughed at how ridiculous Dan was being.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Don’t laugh at my excitement,” he joked, sticking his tongue out at Phil playfully.

“Hurry up and try it! I wanna know what you think of it,” Phil said excitedly.

“Alright, alright,” Dan said. before picking up his mug and taking a sip of the Butterbeer. “Mm, yum!”

“See? I told you that you’d absolutely love it,” Phil smiled as he watched Dan.

“Oh shush you, of course I’d love it,” Dan said. He smiled as he looked over at Phil. “I’m having a lot of fun… thank you for coming with me today. It really means a lot even though it’s just a small thing.”

Phil shook his head. “No need to thank me. You’re my friend and I love hanging out with you anyways,” He was grinning like a child on their birthday, the smile practically illuminating the small room.

Dan blushed, though he tried to hide it. “Well still… it’s been fun hanging out with you the past couple of weeks. I’m surprised that you haven’t gotten annoyed with me yet,” he said with a light chuckle.

“Please. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten annoyed with me yet. You know, with all my boring animal facts and plant puns. Everybody else doesn’t really hang out me for long. At least the other teachers don’t…”

“Really? I like your weird animal facts and plant puns,” Dan told him.

Phil sighed. “Yeah… they tell me that I should ‘act my age’ more,” he rolled his eyes.

“What? Well that’s lame. Besides, I’ve never had a best friend before, so this is fun,” Dan smiled.

“Yeah, it is fun. And I’m sure we’ll have a lot more memories to make together,” Phil added.

“I sure hope so,” Dan sighed happily before taking another sip of his drink.

The next two weeks consisted of Dan and Phil innocently flirting with each other and hanging out together in each other’s bedroom’s. It was so obvious to everyone that they were falling in love with each other.

Dan was absolutely head over heels for Phil, to say the least. He wanted to tell Phil how he felt, but he was so worried that it was too soon to say anything. They’ve known each other a few months. He wasn’t even sure if Phil actually felt the same way about him. So Dan just kept to himself, for now. He wasn’t much of a risk taker, and he didn’t want to lose the amazing friendship he had formed with the older boy.

****

“Okay everyone, have a good weekend! No homework!” Dan smiled when the class cheered.

“Mr. Howell,”

Dan looked over and frowned when he saw Oliver, the boy who hated Dan for absolutely no reason and always seemed to try to make his life a living hell whenever he possibly could. Luckily Dan was quite good at not letting people bother him like that, and simply just ignored him for the most part.

“Yes?” Dan asked, nervously glancing around at the students before looking back at the annoying boy.

“You and Mr. Lester are getting pretty close, aren’t you?” Oliver said, crossing his arms against his chest.

“Yes, and? What does that have to do with anything?” Dan asked, frowning slightly.

“Oliver, knock it off now,” a girl from behind him hissed.

“Why don’t you just tell us the truth?” Oliver snapped, glaring at him.

“What truth? I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Dan sighed, as he gathered up his paperwork.

“That you’re gay, that truth…” Oliver said, smirking when he saw Mr. Howell freeze up.

“I…” Dan had no clue what he was supposed to say. He was completely speechless. Suddenly his collar felt unreasonably tight around his neck.

This was exactly like high school all over again. Dan was bullied quite a lot when he was younger, of course, due to the fact that he was gay which wasn’t accepted back at his old school. Dan thought maybe things would be different here at Hogwarts, but clearly… he was wrong. He had no idea what he was going to do, and he didn’t want to have to quit his job because of one obnoxious student.

“Mr. Howell, we don’t care that you’re gay,” Stacy piped up.

“Yeah, don’t listen to him… Oliver’s just being a dick like he always is. He thinks he runs this school just because he’s a Slytherin pureblood and his family is richer than most,” Hayden added.

“Shut up, this has nothing to do with that… why don’t you let Mr. Howell speak for himself?” Oliver asked, smirking again, as he looked back at Dan. “You’re gay, aren’t you?”

Dan took a deep breath before he finally spoke, “Yes… okay? I am gay. Is that what you wanted to hear?” He asked as his eyes began to water up. “Go to dinner, all of you.” He said before grabbing his suitcase and he practically ran out of the classroom before anyone else could say something to him. He feels clammy and sticky and his collar is practically strangling him at this point. Why now? he thinks to himself as he runs down the hall, Why now?

“You’re such a twat Oliver, why did you do that?” Hayden asked angrily.

“Because he deserved it. He doesn’t deserve to be teaching here,” Oliver shrugged.

“You’re just jealous because everybody loves him and hates you,” Kaitlyn said, rolling her eyes.

“I’m not jealous of that fag. Now if you excuse me, I’m going to dinner…” Oliver said, before finally walking out of the room, leaving the rest of the students completely speechless.

“Well there goes our plan of getting Mr. Howell and Mr. Lester together,” Stacy sighed with frustration.

“I just hope that he’s alright…Mr. Howell looked pretty upset,” Hayden mumbled.

At dinner, Phil was disappointed when Dan didn’t show up. They were supposed to be hanging out after.

“Hey guys, have you seen Mr. Howell anywhere?” Phil asked a group of students at the Gryffindor table.

“Uh, no… but something happened in class and he’s pretty upset about it,” Kaitlyn told him.

Phil frowned. “Really? What happened in class? Is he alright?” There was a frantic tone laced in his voice, which showed that he was obviously very worried about Dan.

“Oliver outed him in class today and now everybody knows he’s gay,” she explained reluctantly.

“Oh no,” Phil mumbled underneath his breath before immediately turning around and leaving The Great Hall.

He walked all around the castle and even checked Dan’s bedroom, but there was no sign of him.

Now Phil was getting worried. He wanted to be there if Dan was upset. He wanted to hold him and make him feel better. He wanted him to know that he cares.

Then Phil remembered that Dan loved sitting out by The Black Lake, where there was a giant tree that over-looked the entire lake and the castle. And Phil had a feeling that that’s where Dan would be.

He wasted no time in walking out of the castle and heading towards the direction of the lake.

There, he was relieved when he saw Dan sitting under the tree. But a frown formed on his face when he realized that Dan was curled up and was crying. Seeing him upset and shaking absolutely broke his heart.

“Hey,” Phil said softly as he walked up to Dan.

Dan gasped and quickly wiped away his tears, but he knew that Phil saw him. “H-Hey,”

“It’s okay…” Phil sat down next to Dan, resting a hand on his back, “I um, I heard what happened…”

Dan frowned as he looked over at Phil with the saddest eyes that Phil’d ever seen. “Who told you?”

“Kaitlyn,” Phil answered.

Dan rolled his eyes and shook his head, sniffing a few times. “That girl has a b-big mo-mouth,”

Phil giggled slightly. “It’s okay to be upset, Dan. You have every right to be upset,” he whispered softly.

“I feel like such a fucking idiot,” Dan mumbled, a few more tears slipping out of his eyes.

“No, you shouldn’t. Oliver should feel like an idiot for what he did to you,” Phil gently replied.

“I’m 22 years old… I-I should have stuck up for myself like an actual adult would,” Dan groaned.

“Stop being so hard on yourself, okay?” Phil sighed and gently wrapped his arms around Dan.

Dan sobbed and immediately hid his face in Phil’s chest. “Wh-Why are people so mean?”

“I don’t know… but I wish I did so that I could fix it,” Phil whispered as he gently rubbed Dan’s arm.

“E-Ev-verything was g-going so we-well,” Dan sobbed, shaking his head.

Phil frowned and a sudden flash of anger went through him. It actually angered him that someone would stoop so low to hurt and humiliate his best friend because of who he was, and Phil wanted to do everything in his power to help Dan feel better. “Oliver’s going to pay for doing this to you!” He exclaimed.

“Phil,” Dan sniffed as he looked up at him. “No, don’t. D-Don’t do anything that’ll get you fired…”

“He can’t get away with this,” Phil stated angrily, sitting up a little.

Dan sighed, feeling defeated. “I’ll get over it, okay? It’s just one student… it’s not a big…”

“No, we’ll talk to Dumbledore first thing. I’m really not supposed to say anything to anybody… but I know that Dumbledore is gay, and surely the headmaster isn’t going to let someone get away with bullying other people because of their sexual orientation,” Phil said, letting out a sigh.

“Wait a minute, Dumbledore is gay?” Dan asked with shock, also sitting up.

Phil chuckled and nodded. “Very few people know, but yes. Please don’t say anything,” he said.

“Of course, I won’t say anything,” Dan nodded. “But… you really don’t have to do anything for me.”

“Shush, I would do anything for my best friend,” Phil assured.

Dan smiled softly and rested his head on Phil’s chest, sighing as a few more tears slipped out of his eyes.

“It’s okay to cry, everybody has bad days, and today is just your bad day…” Phil said.

“I really hope this doesn’t fuck up my teaching career, I worked my ass off to be here,” Dan mumbled.

“Why would it?” Phil questioned, frowning as he looked down at Dan.

“God knows what else that kid will say about me. He’ll make everybody hate me!” Dan cried.

“Not possible. Everybody loves you, and he’s the only one who hates you. All the students and teachers love you a lot, including me,” Phil told him. “You don’t have to worry about anything…”

“Y-You love me?” Dan asked, his eyes going wide as he looked up at Phil. That was the last thing that he expected to hear, and although he was a little surprised… he was definitely happy about it, because it felt like he’s had a crush on Phil for so long but he was too afraid to say anything to him.

“Well, yeah… I mean, isn’t it obvious?” Phil asked, a smile forming on his face.

“I…” Dan blushed, and then he quickly frowned. “You’re not just saying that, are you?”

“No, why on Earth would I say something like that and not mean it?” Phil asked.

“I… I don’t know. Maybe you just feel sorry for me,” Dan sighed.

“No, you’re my best friend. And I know we haven’t known each other that long but… I’ve really gotten to know you very well these past few months, and I just… love everything about you. I don’t care if we haven’t known each other that long. Who cares about that?” Phil asked, shaking his head.

“Are you sure?” Dan asked, sitting up a little.

“I’m absolutely one hundred percent sure,” Phil assured, gently pulling Dan closer.

“C-Can I kiss you, Phil?” Dan asked hopefully, not taking his chocolate eyes away from Phil.

“You don’t even have to ask me Dan,” Phil whispered before pulling Dan into a kiss.

Dan smiled as he kissed Phil back, and gently wrapped his arms around Phil’s waist as they kissed.

“Wow,” Phil breathed, after they pulled away a few seconds later. “Dan…”

“You’re amazing,” Dan laughed as he wiped away a tear that slipped out of his eyes.

“Not as amazing as you are,” Phil said with a smile. “But really though, are you going to be okay?”

“Yeah. I have you, and… that’s all I really need,” Dan whispered. He looked down at Phil’s shirt and blushed when he saw that Phil’s shirt was wet from Dan crying on him. “Oh, your shirt…”

Phil looked down at his shirt and chuckled. “That’s alright! don’t worry about it. I don’t mind,” he said.

“Oh great, I am so not looking forward to class tomorrow,” Dan groaned. Just thinking about it made Dan want to be sick. He was so worried about what all the other students were going to say about him.

“Just talk to Dumbledore, alright? Everything will be fine,” Phil gently rubbed Dan’s shoulder. “Do you want to go in and get dinner? I’m sure we can sneak back into the kitchen for food and go eat in your room.”

“No, I’m not ready to go back inside yet,” Dan mumbled.

“Dan,” Phil whispered. “You can’t hide out here forever.”

“No, I’m not hiding. I promise, I just… I need time to clear my head,” Dan said quickly.

Phil nodded. “Do you want me to stay with you, or no?” He asked softly. Though he really didn’t want to leave Dan alone while he was in this state, just in case. Plus, he wanted to comfort Dan.

Dan bit his lip slightly before slowly nodding. “Yes please. I want you to stay with me,” he whispered.

Phil gently wrapped his arms around Dan and gently pulled Dan into a hug. “You’ll be fine,”

“I’m so glad to have you in my life now,” Dan sighed contently.

“Me too. I can’t believe I went so long in my life without knowing you,” Phil chuckled.

“Well, I’m sure we would have met if I’d have actually gone to Hogwarts when you did,” Dan pointed out.

“Whoa. That’s kind of crazy to think about..” Phil laughed.

Dan smiled as he looked up at Phil. “Thank you… again,” he whispered.

“Shush! Stop thanking me so much, silly. You know I would do anything for you,” Phil assured.

“I know, and that’s why I’m so damn lucky to have you in my life,” Dan smiled.

Times like this, Dan was very lucky and thankful to have Phil around to make him feel better.

But even though he had Phil right now in the moment, that didn’t stop him from thinking about how things could absolutely go horribly wrong during class on Monday. He didn’t even want to think about it.

****

It was Monday, and Dan spent most of his weekend hiding away from all the students, because Friday’s class didn’t exactly end well for him, thanks to one of his students outing him. Dan was nervous about what everyone was going to say and how they were going to treat him now they knew he was gay.

Dan took a deep breath before he finally walked into his classroom, and saw that all of the students were already there and waiting for him, which didn’t help his nerves at all.

“Sorry I’m late,” Dan announced as he walked up to his desk. Once there, he looked around and frowned when he saw that Oliver was nowhere to be seen… which was a little suspicious to him. “Has anyone seen Oliver?” He asked as he sat down in his seat to take attendance.

“Uh, sir… Oliver got suspended for a couple of days,” one of the students spoke, nervous.

“What?” Dan asked, looking up with a surprised look on his face.

“Dumbledore heard what happened and suspended him. He said there’s no tolerance for bullying,”

“Oh… alright, um… give me a minute so I can do attendance,” Dan mumbled.

“Mr. Howell, uh… are you okay?”

Dan chuckled and nodded. Yeah, “I’m absolutely fine. Don’t worry about me, alright? There’s way more important things to worry about, like your exams that are coming up soon,” he insisted.

“Well, it’s just… you seemed pretty upset on Friday after the… incident,”

“I’ll admit that I was a little upset, but luckily I had a good friend to help me through it,” Dan told.

“Would that one friend happen to be… Mr. Lester?” The class giggled as soon as Phil was mentioned.

Dan rolled his eyes but couldn’t help but smile, just at the thought of Phil. Things have been different between them now that they were ‘officially dating’, but a good different. Dan was happy. “I’m not saying anything, but I think you all know the answer to that question. Now quiet please,” he said.

After classes, Dan immediately went to Phil’s classroom. He couldn’t wait to see him.

“Hello Mr. Lester,”

“Hello… how can I-?” Phil looked over and smiled when he saw that it was actually Dan. “Hello you.”

“So, are we still on for a date that we talked about yesterday?” Dan asked, walking over to Phil’s desk.

“Yes, actually. Everything’s already set up. Luckily I’m friends with a couple of the elves so they went and set everything up for us by The Black Lake, because I know how much you love that spot,” Phil told him.

“I do love that spot… you’re the best,” Dan smiled and kissed Phil’s cheek.

“I know I am, but I love hearing you say that,” Phil joked, smiling after Dan kissed his cheek.

Dan rolled his eyes playfully. “I hate you,” he joked, and shook his head.

“Oh shush, you could never hate me!” Phil grinned. “Let me put everything away, and we’ll go, okay?”

Dan nodded, and then he sat down in one of the desks. “Take your time,” he said softly. He looked up and smiled as he watched Phil as he put away everything that he didn’t need.

Dan and Phil finally left the castle and started heading towards the Black Lake.

“Wow!” Dan yelled excitedly when he saw the setup when they got to their spot.

“This is… perfect,” Phil said when he saw the picnic basket and the blanket. All he wanted was a nice spot by the lake with Dan where they could talk and eat food, but he wasn’t expecting any of this.

“I can already smell the food, and it smells amazing,” Dan said as he sniffed. He smiled as he watched Phil sit down on the blanket and then he also sat down. “The elves did this for us?”

“I know. I didn’t even ask for this much,” Phil said as he opened the basket.

“They must really like you Phil,” Dan chuckled.

“You jealous?” Phil asked, grinning as he looked over at Dan.

Dan rolled his eyes. “That’s so gross,” he said.

Phil laughed. “I didn’t mean it like that!” He exclaimed, blushing deeply.

“I know,” Dan giggled when he saw the look on Phil’s face. “I can’t believe… we’re actually here.”

“What do you mean?” Phil asked curiously as he looked over at Dan.

“You and me. I never would have thought this is how I would meet my perfect match,” Dan said.

Phil smiled. “Hogwarts is a magical place, it brings people together. All it takes is a little bit of magic,”

“That was so cheesy,” Dan said, chuckling as he shook his head. “But true. We would have never met each other if I hadn’t decided to become a teacher at Hogwarts. Hogwarts is truly a magical place.”

“So, how about we demolish this food? Because it really does smell amazing,” Phil said.

Dan laughed. “Okay… what do we got?” He asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Breadsticks…” Phil began, as he pulled out a bowl of breadsticks.

“We’re gonna have to thank the elves later, you know that?” Dan said.

“Truly,” Phil agreed, nodding. “They went all out for us!” He continued pulling out food.

“You know, this is technically our first date as a real couple,” Dan said with a smile.

Phil grinned as he looked over at Dan. “Yes,” he said.

“So, we haven’t talked about whether or not we’re gonna tell people?” Dan muttered.

Phil bit his lip slightly as he thought for a moment. “Do you want… to?” He asked.

“I… I don’t know. Do people accept gay couples around here?” Dan asked quietly.

“For the most part, yes. But, two teachers being together? I don’t know…” Phil mumbled.

“Maybe we should wait a few days, or a couple of weeks… before we officially tell people,” Dan suggested.

Phil nodded. “I think that would be best. Plus, we literally just started dating,” he added.

“Yeah, I’d like to have you to myself for a few days,” Dan blushed.

“Well, that… can be arranged,” Phil reached over and kissed Dan’s cheek.

Dan giggled as he looked over at Phil. “Now really… can we eat now? I’m starved,” he whined.

Phil laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. “Yes, your majesty.”

Dan stuck his tongue out at Phil. “Ha, ha! Very funny…”

“I know. I’m the funniest person ever,” Phil said jokingly as he took a sip of his tea.

“Okay,” Dan chuckled and shook his head. “You’re such a dork.”

“You still love me,” Phil smiled innocently as he looked over at Dan.

“Yeah… yeah, I guess I do,” Dan said as a smile formed on his face.

How Dan got so lucky to be with someone like Phil was a mystery to him, but he couldn’t be more happier.

__________

Dan couldn’t believe it, that it’d been four months since he and Phil became official.

The past few months have been hectic with trying to get the students ready for exams, which didn’t make things easy for Dan and Phil to see each other… but somehow, they got through it.

It was March now, which meant that there were only a couple of months left until exams come around, and as well as, the start of a new year. Things were flying by so quickly, and Dan could barely keep up.

But thank God it was the weekend, which meant he could spent two days with Phil.

“Fuck, I’m so exhausted,” Dan whined as he laid down next to Phil on his bed.

The past couple of weeks, Dan and Phil have been sleeping in each other’s bedrooms after classes, and they were surprised that they hadn’t gotten caught yet. But Dan didn’t care. He slept much better at night with Phil right by his side. Plus, it was a bonus that Phil was a great cuddler.

“Long day?” Phil asked, turning on his side so that he could face Dan.

Dan nodded. “This time of year is so stressful,” he mumbled, resting his head on Phil’s chest.

Phil smiled and gently kissed his forehead. “Believe me love, I know,” he said softly.

“Phil, when should we tell them?” Dan asked, biting his lip nervously.

“You keep thinking about that, don’t you?” Phil asked, looking down at Dan.

Dan nodded. “We said we were only going to hide for a couple weeks, and now it’s been four months…”

“Wow. Has it really been four months?” Phil asked, a little surprised.

Dan chuckled, nodding. “Yes, Phil. It’s been four months. Time flies,”

“You’re telling me,” Phil laughed. “Anyways… do you really want to tell them? Are you really ready?”

“Yes, I mean… things have been great since Oliver outed me. Nobody talks about me being gay, and they don’t treat me any different. Clearly they love us together,” Dan said. “I think its time.”

“Okay,” Phil said, pushing himself up a little. “How should we tell them then?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Should we just… act like a couple, and let them guess?” Dan asked.

“That seems easier. I don’t want it to be like, a big deal or anything,” Phil sighed.

Dan nodded. “No, I totally understand. Besides, it shouldn’t be a big deal,” he mumbled.

“Okay, so… how about on Monday? I’ll walk into one of your classes, after, and we just… act like we would when none of the students are around?” Phil suggested.

Dan nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good to me,” he said. He reached over and gently kissed Phil.

“I love you,” Phil whispered, smiling before kissing Dan again.

“I love hearing you saying that,” Dan whispered back to him. “And… I love you too.”

“God, I’m so lucky to have you,” Phil chuckled before wrapping his arms around Dan.

Dan giggled and then he snuggled into Phil’s chest. “We’re both lucky… to have each other,”

“Aw! You’re so cute,” Phil smiled as he held onto Dan.

“I’m not cute! I’m strong… and manly,” Dan argued playfully.

Phil laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. “Okay, whatever you say, Daniel.”

Morning came and now Dan and Phil were heading to breakfast.

“I’m so tired,” Dan groaned as he walked beside Phil.

“Well, maybe you shouldn’t have stayed up reading all damn night,” Phil laughed.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Books are interesting. How do you put them down?” He asked.

“I guess I’m just not a big reader,” Phil admitted. He reached over and kissed Dan’s cheek.

“Phil,” Dan said as he looked over at him. “What are you-?”

“Why not start now?” Phil asked, smiling as he reached over and held onto Dan’s hand.

“A-Are you sure? Everybody will see us,” Dan whispered.

Phil nodded. “I’ve never been more sure in my life,” he said softly.

Dan smiled and he held onto Phil’s hand. “Okay, let’s do it,” he said.

“So, what shall we do today? Since it’s Saturday,” Phil said as they started walking towards the Great Hall for breakfast. “I mean… I have some papers to grade but I can do that later tonight.”

“Same,” Dan said. “Does Hagrid need any help today?”

“I don’t know… I’ll have to ask him. I mean, I’m sure I’ll go see Buckbeak anyways,” Phil said.

Dan nodded. “We haven’t seen him in a couple of days so it’ll be nice to see him again,”

“Yeah. What would you like to do?” Phil asked, smiling as he looked over at Dan.

“I don’t mind… as long as I get to spend it with you,” Dan said.

“Aw,” Phil blushed. “I’m sure we’ll figure something out after breakfast.”

Yeah,” Dan nodded, and then he and Phil walked into the Great hall, still holding hands.

“Well, I…” Phil stopped as soon as the Great Hall went silent, and all eyes were on them.

“Oh, this is awkward,” Dan mumbled as he looked down at his and Phil’s hands.

“I knew it!” One of the students from the Gryffindor table shouted.

Dan’s face turned dark red as soon as he heard what one of the students shouted.

The whole of Great Hall started cheering, even the Slytherins… which surprised both Dan and Phil.

Dan, nor Phil, hadn’t expected this kind of reaction.

“Go to hell!” Dan rolled his eyes as soon as he heard Oliver’s voice.

Unfortunately, Oliver was now off of his suspension so that meant that Dan and Phil would have to deal with his antics, but they didn’t care because they were happy together and that’s all that mattered to them.

“Thank you guys,” Dan finally said, blushing deeply, before grabbing Phil’s hand and made their way up towards the teacher’s table. Dan was trying to ignore all the eyes that were now on them.

“Can you…?”

“No,” Dan laughed, cutting Phil off before he could finish. “I wasn’t expecting that…”

“This is incredible,” Phil sighed in relief. “All of our worries can go away now.”

Dan nodded. “I mean, we still have to deal with Oliver but…”

“But, what he says doesn’t matter and never will,” Phil said softly. “Being together and open will make him realize that nothing he says or does will bother us. We’re happy, and in love. And, he’s just a bratty kid.”

“Wow, you really don’t like him do you?” Dan chuckled.

“Can you blame me?” Phil asked. “After what he did to you? God, I was so angry. I could’ve…just… I could’ve hexed him into next month..”.

Dan shrugged his shoulders, giggling at the grumbly look on Phil’s face. “I guess not,” he saidd.

“So, I was thinking… why don’t we go flying today?” Phil suggested.

“Flying?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrows. “I don’t know how to fly…”

“I know but, you won’t have to. We can share a broom,” Phil told him.

“I don’t know Phil, I really don’t think I should…” Dan mumbled.

“What’s there to be afraid of? I’m very good on a broom, I mean, I did play Quidditch,” Phil said.

“I trust you, I really do… it’s just, it’s a scary thing…I’m kinda afraid of heights, you know,” Dan sighed.

“Well, you won’t be alone. I’ll be there,” Phil told him.

“Will we even be allowed to fly? Is the Quidditch pitch open today?” Dan asked.

“We don’t have to use the Quidditch pitch, we can fly around Hogwarts,” Phil chuckled.

“What?” Dan asked, his eyes going wide. “No way! No, no, no, no. Absolutely not. No!”

“Aw, come on Dan! It’ll be tons of fun,” Phil begged, shaking him a few times.

“Phil,” Dan whined. “Can’t we wait until the summer to fly?”

“Summer’s too far away. Come on, if you don’t like it… I’ll go back down to the ground immediately,”

Dan bit his lip nervously as he looked over at Phil. “You promise?” He asked quietly.

Phil smiled and nodded. “I promise. I don’t want to pressure you but, it’s all good fun…”

“Um…” Dan thought for a moment before sighing in defeat. “Okay, but if I die… I’m going to kill you.”

“You can’t kill me if you’re already dead,” Phil laughed.

“Oh shut up!” Dan laughed and pushed Phil playfully.

After breakfast, Phil decided to take Dan out to the Quidditch field.

“What are we doing here? I thought we were just going to fly around the castle,” Dan said, blinking a few times as he looked around. It was weird being here with nobody in the stands, and nobody flying around.

“Well…” Phil sighed as he held onto his broom. “I figured… since you’re so scared of flying, that I would fly around for a bit here so you can see that I’m a good flyer. Maybe it’ll calm your nerves seeing me fly.”

“Okay,” Dan said with a nod. “I’ve heard that you’re a good flyer, though.”

“I’d hate to brag, but I am quite a good flyer,” Phil said, grinning as he looked over at Dan.

“Oh, shush,” Dan laughed and rolled his eyes playfully. “Go on then, let’s see what you’ve got.”

“Alright, give me a sec,” Phil said before getting onto his broom. “Ready?”

“Oh, I’m ready. Are you ready?” Dan asked, crossing his arms against his chest.

“Duh,” Phil said. He waited a second before he took off on his broom.

“Whoa!” Dan yelled as he watched Phil, who was already high up and in the sky, flying around. He chuckled when he saw that Phil was showing off and doing little tricks. “Show off!”

“Jealous much?” Phil called from up in the sky.

Dan rolled his eyes. “A little,” he pouted. “Come back!” he shouts, waving his arms.

Phil laughed and then he fly back down to Dan. “See? I’m an excellent flyer,” he insisted.

“You aren’t going to do any of that when I’m on there, are you?” Dan asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Oh, ‘course not, I really want you to have fun and all but I don’t want to traumatize you or anything. So then, are you going to get on?” Phil asked excitedly as he looked up at Dan.

Dan sighed. “Fine. What’s the weather like up there?” He asked, getting on the broom and behind Phil.

“A little breezy, but not too bad,” Phil answered. “Hold on tight.”

“Trust me, you don’t have to worry about me holding on,” Dan said as he wrapped his arms around Phil and held onto his waist. “You’re warm.” He smiled as he rested his head on Phil’s back.

Phil chuckled. “Thanks,” he said. “We’re taking off now…”

“Don’t go fast!” Dan squealed as soon as Phil starting flying.

“Relax Dan,” Phil laughed as he glanced back at Dan. “We’re fine…”

“We’re high up!” Dan looked down and then he held onto Phil tighter.

image  
“We’re not that high up,” Phil rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but smile. “But now we are…” He grinned as he got them flying over the Quidditch pitch. “What do you think of the view?”

“This is incredible!” Dan smiled as he looked around. Everything was so much more different from high up, and it was absolutely beautiful. The castle seemed much bigger, the trees were absolutely gorgeous, and he just loved seeing the small details around the castle. Dan didn’t think it would be like this flying.

image  
“I knew that you would love it,” Phil said, smiling as he looked back at Dan. “Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Dan smiled and then he held onto Phil.

“Why didn’t we think to do this earlier?” Phil asked, chuckling.

“Because I’m a giant chicken, that’s why,” Dan answered. “Can we go now?”

“Alright, alright. Someone’s eager, aren’t they?” Phil asked, smirking, before taking off.

“Ahh, Phil!” Dan squealed as he held onto Phil tightly. But he smiled as he started to feel the cold wind brush against his face, and he immediately started to relax. Dan bit his lip as he looked around, and gasped at how beautiful everything looked. “Wow.” He breathed as he looked at the view.

“The view is beautiful,” Phil whispered as he flew closer to the castle.

“I’ve never seen the castle like this before,” Dan said, chuckling.

“And there’s a whole lot more to see, sunshine,” Phil said softly.

Dan blushed a dark shade of red as soon as Phil called him ‘sunshine’, and now he was just very thankful that Phil couldn’t see just how much he was blushing over that. No one ever called him sunshine before.

“How far can we go?” Dan asked curiously, still looking around at all the sites.

“Not very. Just around the castle and over the Quidditch pitch. I don’t want to get us in trouble,” Phil told him. “But in the summertime, we’ll be able to go much farther since classes won’t be in session.

“This summer is going to be so much fun, just you and me here at the castle,” Dan said.

“I know. It’s so nice of Dumbledore to let some of the teachers stay,” Phil agreed.

“Yeah. He’s a pretty kickass headmaster if you ask me,” Dan laughed.

“Either way, Hogwarts will always my home,” Phil sighed happily. “Wanna go higher?”

Dan bit his lip as he looked down and quickly shook his head. “No, this height is good. This is just fine.”

Phil laughed. “You are such a scaredy cat,” he said before flying a little higher.

****

“That was so incredible!” Dan yelled once he and Phil were back on the ground again.

“And you were scared that you were going to fall off or something ridiculous like that,” Phil chuckled.

“It’s always a possibility when you’re flying on a broom,” Dan shrugged.

Phil rolled his eyes playfully. “All that flying has made me tired, can we go cuddle now?” He whined.

“I suppose,” Dan said. He wrapped his arm around Phil and smiled as they started walking. “You know, you didn’t have to do that for me, but you did. I had a lot of fun, despite having a fear of heights. Thank you.”

“You don’t have to thank me for anything. I’m glad we got to experience that together,” Phil said.

Dan smiled and kissed Phil’s cheek. “I seriously have the best boyfriend ever,”

“As do I,” Phil grinned, before yawning and making Dan giggle.

“Guess flying really did make you tired, didn’t I?” Dan asked.

Phil nodded and pouted. “I just want to snuggle up in bed now,” he said tiredly.

“Well, I can happily make that happen,” Dan smiled, and started leading the way towards his room.

Dan and Phil were both relieved once they were back in bed, snuggled up together.

“Ugh, you’re so warm and comfy… you’re so much better than any stuffed animal” Dan mumbled as he snuggled into Phil, smiling as he closed his eyes and relaxed.

Phil smiled as he looked down at Dan. “I could say the same thing to you,” he said.

“I’m so nervous for Monday,” Dan sighed as he rested his head on Phil’s chest.

“Why would you be nervous for Monday?” Phil asked, frowning, before wrapping his arms around Dan.

“Because,” Dan started. “People know that we’re a couple now.”

“And?” Phil asked, raising his eyebrows as he listened.

“And, people will talk. I’m nervous about what people are going to say,” Dan told him.

“You can’t worry about what other people are going to say,” Phil whispered.

“How can I not?” Dan asked, frowning as he looked over at Phil.

“Just worry about what matters most, your happiness. Who cares about other people and what they think?” Phil asked. “Life is so much more fun when you don’t worry about what other people think, trust me. I used to worry so much and then I realized, I don’t care what other people think of me.”

“How are you so confident? Like, you never worry about anything or anyone,” Dan said.

“Because, life holds you back if you worry too much,” Phil stated, gently kissing his forehead.

Dan smiled as he looked up at Phil. “I wish I could be more like you,”

“I don’t, because I love you just the way you are,” Phil beamed.

“I literally have the best boyfriend. You always know how to make me feel better,” Dan sighed happily.

“That’s what I’m here for, isn’t it? I’m supposed to make you happy,” Phil said.

Dan nodded. “Yes, and that’s what makes you such a great boyfriend,”

****

“I hope you all will study this weekend for your test on Friday,” Dan said as he stood in front of the classroom, smiling as he looked around at everybody. “It’s an important test.”

“That’s why you say for every test,” Hayden groaned.

“Well… every test is important. But this test has information for a potion we’ll be learning this week,” Dan said. He looked over when the door opened and smiled when he saw Phil walk in.

Phil looked up and blinked a few times when he saw that the students were still sitting in their seats. “Oh, uh… I didn’t know if you were still in class or not. I can come back later.”

“No, it’s fine. We were just ending class. Uh, okay everyone. Have a good day! And study!” Dan warned gently, smiling as he watched the students gather their things and leave.

Phil said hi to a couple of the students before walking over to Dan.

“Hey,” Dan reached over and gently gave him a kiss. He loved being able to kiss Phil whenever he wanted now that they weren’t hiding anymore. It made things so much more easier for them, both of them.

Phil blushed a little. “How were classes today?”

“A little bit relaxed, but pretty good. Yours?” Dan asked, sitting down at his desk.

“You two seem all coupley today,” Stacy said before giggling.

“Well, we have a reason to be, don’t we?” Dan asked, smiling.

“Well I guess our plan of getting you two together didn’t work… seeing as you two got together without us,” Hayden said, sighing as he picked up his books.

“Wait, you guys were actually trying to get us together?” Phil asked, raising his eyebrows.

“Yeah,” Kaitlyn said, shrugging. “We thought you were cute together… and so did a bunch of others…”

“Wow,” Phil said before looking over at Dan. “Did you know?”

“I mean, I had a suspicion… but I didn’t actually know,” Dan said.

“So basically, we didn’t need any students help. We did it on our own,” Phil grinned.

“But we wanted to get you together!” Stacy whined.

“Hey, at least sense finally got knocked into their heads and they realized they’re perfect for each other,” Hayden laughed when he saw the looks on Dan and Phil’s faces.

“Okay, that’s not how it went. It was too early. We only just met each other a couple of days ago,” Dan sighed and shook his head. “But, whatever. At least we’re together now, and that’s all that matters.”

“You two make me wanna barf,” Oliver scoffed.

“You can leave now Oliver,” Dan warned, throwing a glare at him.

Phil rolled his eyes and watched as Oliver left the classroom. “What a tw-”

“Phil!” Dan hissed, reaching over and hitting him on the arm.

“Ow,” Phil whined as he rubbed his arm. “What?”

“I thought we weren’t going to pay attention to him,” Dan whispered.

“Well, it’s hard when he’s being a twat!” Phil exclaimed.

“Phil,” Dan rolled his eyes. “Okay everyone… you can all leave now. Enjoy your days.”

“But I wanna sit here and watch you two be all cute together,” Stacy pouted.

“It is quite entertaining watching you two interact with each other,” Kaitlyn added.

Dan chuckled. “Unfortunately, you’ve all got studying to do. So, go on. Get, scram! All of you,”

Stacy giggled before she finally walked out of the classroom with her friends.

“You have such a cute relationship with your students,” Phil said before sitting down on Dan’s lap.

Dan smiled and wrapped his arms around Phil. “Thanks. I really do love them. Hayden and Stacy are interesting, but really good people. They’re gonna make it far I think,” he said.

“I still can’t believe they actually tried to set us up,” Phil laughed.

“I know, but who can blame them? We are pretty dang cute together,” Dan said, smiling innocently.

Phil laughed and pushed Dan playfully. “You are such a nerd, it’s a good thing I love you,”

“Hey,” Dan stuck his tongue out at Phil. “So… what are the plans for today?”

“The usual. Dinner, go to Hagrid’s, and check on Buckbeak,” Phil told him. “And then cuddle.”

“I was hoping that you’d say that,” Dan said with a smile.

__________

Dan couldn’t believe it.

His first year of teaching was officially over, and it was kind of bittersweet. It was like, he almost didn’t want it to end because he had so much fun teaching and getting to know all of these students. But now, he was excited about getting to meet brand new students next year. Doing it all over again.

“Hey, we’ll see each other after summer. No worries,” Dan said, smiling as he said goodbye to a couple of students at the train station. “Have a good summer, alright? And don’t get into any trouble!”

“Typical Dan,”

Dan turned around and smiled when he saw Phil walking up to him.

“There you are,” Dan said before kissing Phil.

“That’s something I won’t be missing during summer,”

“Oliver,” Dan sighed as he looked over at him. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Nope,” Oliver shook his head.

“It’s okay Dan, we won’t have to put up with him next year,” Phil assured.

“Thank God,” Dan sighed in relief. “I don’t need another annoying little brat in my class.”

Oliver rolled his eyes and then he stormed off, making Dan and Phil laugh.

“I thought for sure we’d be able to change his mind about gay people,” Phil mumbled.

“It’s just one person. Pretty much the whole school supported us, so I’d say we were pretty successful,” Dan said. “Besides… it’s like you said, who cares about other people?”

“I know,” Phil smiled and took Dan’s hand. “We had a crazy year together, huh?”

Dan nodded. “Yeah… and it’s a year that I’ll never forget. I got my dream job, and the love of my life… I never expected this to happen, but I’m so fucking glad that it did. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

“And this summer will be even more fun. We practically have the whole castle to ourselves!” Phil exclaimed. “I mean… with exception of a few other teachers, but still.” He smiled.

“I know. We’re going to make so much more magical memories together,” Dan added.

“Was that pun intended?” Phil asked, raising his eyebrows.

Dan laughed. “I guess I’ve been spending too much time with you,” he said.

“Hey! You said you liked my puns,” Phil pouted and crossed his arms against his chest.

Dan rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I did say that, didn’t I? What was I thinking?” He asked.

“Speaking of…”

“Oh, here we go. Hit me with it.” Dan laughed.

“Okay,” Phil thought for a moment as he crossed his arms against his chest.

Dan raised his eyebrows as he watched Phil. “Well?” He asked.

“I hope I didn’t leaf you hanging fir too long,”

“Oh my God! They keep getting more awful!” Dan groaned, before walking away.

“Hey! If a plant is sad, do the other plants sympathize with it?” Phil called, quickly following Dan.

“I am not listening to your plant puns anymore,” Dan warned, even though a smile was on his face.

“This is what you’re going to be putting up with the whole summer, I hope you know that,” Phil said as he finally caught up with Dan. “I’ve come up with a whole load of new plant puns.”

“You know I’m sure my parents would love for me to visit them in the summer…” Dan smirked.

“No! You can’t leave me,” Phil whined. “I need someone to tell my puns to.”

Dan rolled his eyes playfully as he looked over at Phil, the smile on his face growing even more. “You’re lucky I love you enough to put up with all of your bloody plant puns.”

Phil smiled as he looked at Dan. “Yeah, I am lucky,” he said before reaching over and grabbing his hand.

This has been the best year of Dan’s life so far, all because of one boy named Phil Lester.

And Dan couldn’t wait to see what this summer was going to bring him.


End file.
